Cargo loading device



May 27. 196 H. F. J. SPRENGEL 3,446,363

CARGO LOADING DEVICE Filed Oct. 4, 1967 Sheet of 4 Fig. I

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CARGO LOADING DEVICE Filed Oct. 4, 1967 Sheet 2 of 4 lnvenlar: HE/NZ FERDINAND JOHANNES SPRE NGEL By M 'OR VS May 27, 1969 H. F. J. SPRENGEL. 3,446,363 CARGO LOADING DEVICE Filed Oct. 4, 1967 Sheet 3 of 4 Fig. 3

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CARGO LOADING DEVICE Filed Oct. 4, 1967 Sheet 4 of 4 Fig. 4

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In men (or Hsnvz FERDINAND JOHANNES SPRENGEL 3,446,363 CARGO LOADlNG DEVICE Heinz Ferdinand Johannes Sprengel, Hamburg, Germany, assignor to Blohm dz Voss A.G., Hamburg-Steinuerder, Germany, a German company Filed Oct. 4, 1967, Ser. No. 672,855 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 18, 1966, B 89,882 Int. Cl. B66c 23/52; B6611 3/04 US. Cl. 2123 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Related applications There is a related US. application Ser. No. 599,592 which has issued as US. Patent 3,386,593 on June 4, 1968.

Brief summary of invention The present invention relates to a cargo loading device for shipboard use provided with a derrick hingedly supported at deck level between two posts or masts with a double span or hanger system and two mutually indepenent span or hanger winches and in which guide devices are provided at the head of the derrick boom and at the heads of the post which guide the span tackles in an automatic way.

While with the cargo loading arrangement according to German specification No. 937,992, a swinging over of the upper cargo block or rotation of the derrick as well as a reversal of the hauling part of the cargo tackle is necessary, this disadvantage is avoided according to British specification No. 766,718. With the latter method of construction, the cargo tackle is swung through a top fork of the derrick boom in the upright position thereof towards the opposite side whereby both the hauling parts of the span tackles and also the cargo tackles pass freely through and remain on the sheaves pertaining to them. It is, however, undesirable that with this arrangement the lower cargo block must be raised completely in order that, with a common maneuver and by means of four winches, the upper fork of the derrick boom can be swung through to the other side together with the upper cargo block. For this operation, a certain amount of skill and care is required by the operators and also it is practically impossible to swing through the double hook normally suspended from the lower cargo block.

The cargo derrick device according to British specification No. 1,050,225 certainly avoids the aforesaid disadvantages and substantially simplifies the swing through operation. However, a complicated whip block by which the hauling parts of the cargo tackle are guided, is necessary in order to reach the post heads. For smaller loads, about 40 tons and less, the necessary complication is not acceptable when the comparatively small loads are to be moved.

This invention is directed to the problem of providing a substantial simplification in the guiding of the cable for the cargo tackle while maintaining at the same time a simple swing through operation as described in said British specification No. 1,050,225. The invention is based 3,446,363 Patented May 27, 1969 on recognition of the fact that with small loads the inclusion of two cargo winches in order to pull on both ends of the cargo tackle is no longer necessary.

According to the present invention, this difficulty is overcome by the fact that a pendant block is pivotally arranged at the upper end of the derrick boom at one side on a transversely positioned head pin and embodies at its lower end a swivel to which the upper cargo block is rotatably fitted.

It has been found that one cargo winch designed according to the lifting speed at one end of the cargo tackle and one stationary part as the dead end sufiices for all requirements. With the loading device of the invention, the guiding of the hauling part of the cargo tackle towards the one post or mast and of the dead end to the other post can be omitted and the hauling part guided on the derrick beneath a guide block towards the cargo winch in known manner while the other end of the cargo tackle is fastened to one of the two cargo blocks as the fixed part. Besides the simplification of the construction of the derrick bearing, conventional guiding of the hauling part of the cargo tackle additionally ensures that the pull in the two span tackles, which are guided as in the afore said specifications, is not reduced by this cable tension of the one hauling part and the one fixed part whereby the operative range when swung outwardly is increased and the stability of the cargo loading equipment in increased.

In a preferred arrangement of the invention, provision is further made for a turn plate that is arranged laterally on the upper cargo block which cooperates in both directions with an attachment provided on the derrick boom in such manner that on swinging the derrick boom through the plane of the posts, the upper cargo block is rotated automatically around the swivel. In this case, it is convenient that the upper cargo block consists of, for example, several pulleys arranged one beneath the other which hinders an eccentric pull of the hauling part with reference to the swivel. It is furthermore of advantage to ensure that with a multi-pulley upper cargo block, the upper pulley in each case has a somewhat greater diameter than the lower pulley and the pulleys of the upper two-pulley cargo block are so arranged that the center of the lower pulley is offset relatively to the upper pulley on the side of the hauling part.

Furthermore, the swivel is pivotally connected to the pendant bock in such manner that the tilting forces appearing as the list or heel of the ship increases cannot act on the cable pulleys of the cargo block and the supports of the swivels. It is furthermore of importance that with the loading device according to the invention, the hauling part is guided downwardly along the derrick boom for which reason the guiding of the derrick by the span tackles is more favorable since in this way the span tensions are not reduced by the hauling part and the fixed part of the cargo tackle when this is guided in known way to the heads of the posts.

One constructional example of the invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cargo loading device;

FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically three working positions of the derrick;

FIG. 3 shows the upper section of the derrick on a larger scale, and

FIG. 4 shows the derrick diagrammatically as seen from above in different working positions.

Referring to FIG. 1, two upwardly and outwardly directed hollow posts or masts 2 are fitted athwartship on a deck 1 between two hatches, not further shown. A derrick boom 3 is supported in known manner in a foot hearing or gooseneck 4 between the two posts 2. The derrick boom 3 at its upper end has a head pin 5 which extends through and is arranged crosswise or transversely of the axis of the boom 3 as seen in FIG. 3. At one side ofboom 3, the head pin 5 carries a swivel 6 supporting a span block 7 by means of connector rods 8. The same arrangement is provided at the other side of the boom 3 on the head pin 5 but externally of a cargo block pendant 17 yet to be described.

Span tackles 9 run to hollow rotary head parts 10 located on the upper ends of the posts 2 which head parts 10 are rotatable through 360 and to which the span blocks 11 are fitted. The hauling parts 12 of the span tackles 9 lead from the span blocks 7 over guide pulleys 13 arranged on the rotary head parts 10 of the posts 2, these parts 12 passing into the hollow posts 2 and over guide pulleys 14, 15 then outwardly through a slot in the respective post walls to the associated winches which are not otherwise shown. An upper cargo block 16 is supported from the pendant 17 which is rotatable on the head pin 5 at one side of boom 3. A swivel 18 is fitted to the pendant 17 on which in turn the upper cargo block 16 is fitted.

Turn plates 19 (FIG. 2) are fitted to the upper cargo block 16 and a lug 20 is fitted to the derrick boom 3 so that on swinging the derrick boom 3 through the plane of the posts 2, lug 20 engages turn plates 19 to automatically rotate the upper cargo block 16 so that the hauling part 21 of a cargo tackle 22 always runs correctly on to and from the upper cargo block 16.

One end of the cargo tackle 22 is fastened, for example, to the lower cargo block 23 provided with the cargo hook 24 while the hauling part 21 of the cargo tackle 22 runs, for example, from the upper pulley of the top cargo block 16 in the general direction of the boom 3 to a guide pulley 27 which latter is fastened, for example, to the foot of the boom 3 or to the foot hearing or gooseneck 4 and then passes to the cargo winch, not shown.

In FIG. 3, the constructional details of the cargo loading equipment according to the invention are shown on a larger scale. That position of the upper cargo block 16 is shown which it adopts when it is rotated through about 90 relative to its initial working position by the turn plate 19 and the lug 20. The pendant 17 is rotatably suspended about the head pin 5 at its right-hand side, the latter being fastened to extend transversely through the boom 3 at the upper end thereof. The top cargo block 16 is suspended by the swivel 18 on the pendant 17, the respective blocks 16 being, for example, of the two-pulley type. In order to avoid rubbing of the cargo tackle 22 and of the hauling part 21 one against the other and against the pulleys in the first place, the two pulleys of said block 16 are arranged beneath one another and in the second place the upper pulley has a somewhat larger diameter than the lower pulley. 'By the arrangement of the two cable pulleys of the top cargo block 16, one beneath the other, as seen in FIG. 3 with the center of the lower one of the two ofiset relative to that of the upper pulley on the side of the hauling part 21, the effect of an eccentric pull by the hauling part 21referred to the axis of the swivel 18-is avoided on the upper cargo block 16 which otherwise would have to tilt and thus the hauling part 21 would not run on to or away from the 'keep of the upper pulley of the cargo block 16 in an exact way. The turn plates 19 are fitted at right angles to the plane of the cable pulleys and immediately beneath the swivel 18 and are fixed to the block body of the top cargo block 16. The lug 20 is fixed at a corresponding level to the boom or derrick 3 so that on swinging of the latter through the plane of the posts 2, the upper cargo block 16 is rotated by engagement of said lug 20 with one of the turn plates 19.

The swivel 6 and the connecting rods 8 with the span block 7 on the left-hand side of the derrick or boom 3 are ro a able on the head pin 5. n the s m W y, h

other swivel 6 and associated parts are arranged on the right-hand side of the derrick 3 externally of the pendant 17. In order, if necessary, to provide a symmetrical arrangement of the two span tackles 9 with reference to the center axis of the derrick boom 3, it is also possible to offset the span tackle connection (on the left-hand side of FIG. 3) so far outwardly that the associated swivel 6 is at the same distance from the axis of the boom 3 as the swivel 6 lying at the right on the outer side of the pendant 17. The cargo tackle 16 thus hangs to one side of the derrick boom 3 in FIG. 3, for example, on the righthand side, and passes freely against the derrick 3 on swinging through, whereby the cargo tackle 16 automatically rotates about the swivel 18, in order that the hauling part 21 always runs correctly on, to and from the upper pulley of the cargo block 16. The ratio between the length of the derrick boom 3 and the height of the posts 2 can be selected as desired according to requirements; no changes are required as regards the construction of the head of the derrick or boom 3.

The method of operation of the arrangement according to the invention is as follows: Initially, the derrick boom 3 is swung out in the position A shown in FIG. 2. The hauling part 21 of the cargo tackle 22 then runs from the upper pulley of the cargo block 16 on the derrick boom 3 downwardly over guide elements to the associated cargo winch which is not shown. If the derrick boom 3 is swung to the upright or nearly upright position between the posts 2 (position B in FIG. 2), by means of the span tackles (see FIG. 1), the cargo tackle 22 swings laterally around the head pin. 5 to a point adjacent to the boom 3. In this position of the boom 3, the upper cargo block 16 is rotated around the swivel 18 on the cargo pendant 17 through approximately by means of engagement of the lug 20 and one of the turn plates 19 on the upper cargo block 16. The cargo tackle 22 with the lower cargo block 23 and the cargo hook 24 remains extended and rotates freely. It must now be raised so far that the lower cargo block 23 with the cargo hook 24 passes freely through, that is to say, it does not interfere with the winches and other parts mounted on the deck 1. From the position B in FIG. 2, the derrick boom 3 can be pulled by a small tension, for example, towards the right into the position C, of FIG. 2. When the derrick 3 swings through in the direction C, the upper cargo block 16 is further rotated around the swivel 18 by the tension in the hauling part 21 so that finally the upper cargo block 16 with the cargo tackle 22 as well as the lower block 23 and the cargo hook 24 are rotated practically through from the position A shown in FIG. 2. In the position C, the derrick boom 3 is swung towards the right. The hauling part 21 of the cargo tackle 22 runs now in like manner over guide elements, not shown, to the same associated cargo winch. However, merely the cargo tackle 22 is rotated by about 180 around the swivel 18 relatively to the position A during the swing to position C.

This very simple swing through maneuver requires no training of the crew. The derrick boom 3 is pulled by the span winches to the approximately upright position between the posts 2 and after pulling it over the labile upright dead-center position is brought to this new working position by slackening the span winches. Any desired attachments may be fitted to the lower cargo block 23 such as single hooks, double hooks or cargo shackles. Although not specifically mentioned, a swivel eye may obviously be fitted as before to the lower cargo block 23 of the cargo tackle 22 to which a wide range of attachment elements can be fitted.

By the downward guiding of the hauling part 21 of the cargo tackle 22 on the derrick boom 3, the span tackles 9 are not released from load by the pull in the hauling part 21 whereby the guiding of the derrick 3 by the two span tackles 9 is more effective and which is of g t p a c p r icu a y tor the smal er loa on the hook 24 and the resulting and even necessary greater tilt speeds. Only one cargo winch is required having a substantially smaller output and with a substantially simplified suspension (in the present case the novel block pendant 17) whereby the total cost of the derrick boom 3 is much less corresponding to the smaller load. The loading device provided according to the invention thus represents an economic solution as compared with that previously known for small loads while maintaining the known particular advantages of the double suspension equipment and the simplicity of the swing through maneuver.

The method of operation of the loading equipment according to the invention is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4 from above. In the right-hand section of FIG. 4 will be seen, for example, the derrick boom 3 in the position A which is similar to the position A of FIG. 2. When the derrick boom 3 is swung to the approximately upright position by means of the span tackles 9, not shown in FIG. 4, to the position B the left-hand turn plate 19 on the upper cargo block 16 engages the lug 20 on the derrick boom 3 and the cargo block 16 is rotated to the left around the swivel 18, not shown. If the derrick 3 is brought towards the position C by slackening the span tackles 9, the cargo block 16 is rotated practically to the starting position A by the pull of the hauling part 21 resulting from the inherent weight of the tackle 22 with the lower block 23 and the hook 24 which effects the rotation of the cargo block 23 by about 80 eccentrically to the swivel 18 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The left-hand side of FIG. 4 shows the same movement in the reverse direction.

By the invention, a ship loading device is provided which for small loads and with a simplified construction has the same advantages as the known constructions for heavy loads and, furthermore, by the nature of the guidance of the hauling parts of the cargo tackle a reliable arrangement and swing of the derrick is ensured which is of advantage particularly for smaller loads since they must in the nature of things be loaded more rapidly, that is, both hoisted and swung.

This new loadingequipment is particularly suitable for handling containers where a large number of separate containers must be handled rapidly, precisely and safely for on and oh loading.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described and shown, variations in structural detail are possible and are contemplated. There is no intention, therefore, of limitation to the exact abstract or disclosure herein presented.

What is claimed is:

1. Cargo loading device comprising a derrick boom pivotally supported on a deck, two masts mounted on the deck between which the derrick boom may be swung, mutually independent span means for so swinging said derrick boom, said means including mutually independently operable span tackles respectively connected between said masts and said derrick boom, guide means at the head of said derrick boom and at the heads of said masts to guide the span tackles automatically, a transversely extending head pin mounted on said derrick boom, a block pendant pivotally arranged on said head pin at one side of said boom, a swivel carried by said pendant whose axis extends transversely to that of said head pin and an upper cargo block rotatably secured to said swivel and being rotatable about said axis of said swivel, and means to so rotate said upper cargo block about said axis of said swivel on swinging through said derrick boom from between the plane of the masts.

2. Cargo loading device according to claim 1, said last-named means including a turn plate disposed laterally on the upper cargo block, and a lug provided on the derrick boom which cooperates alternatively with said turn plate so that on swinging through of the derrick boom between the plane of the masts the upper cargo block is auomatically rotated around the swivel.

3. Cargo loading device according to claim 1, including tackle and a hauling part connected to the upper cargo block and wherein the upper cargo block comprises several pulleys arranged one over the other which hinder an eccentric pull of the hauling part with reference to the swivel.

4. Cargo loading device according to claim 1, wherein the upper cargo block embodies a plurality of pulleys in superposed relationship and in which the upper pulley has a larger diameter than the lower pulley.

5. Cargo loading device according to claim 3, wherein the pulleys of an upper two-pulley cargo block are so disposed that the center of the lower pulley is offset relatively to the center of the upper pulley towards the side of the hauling part.

6. Cargo loading device according to claim 1, wherein the cargo block has cable pulleys and wherein the swivel is pivotally suspended from the block pendant so that tilting forces occurring on substantial listing of the deck cannot act on the cable pulleys of the cargo block and the support for the swivel.

7. Cargo loading device according to claim 3, including guide means for the hauling part of the cargo tackle to guide said hauling part downwardly along the derrick boom.

8. Cargo loading device comprising a derrick boom pivotally supported on a deck, two masts mounted on said deck between which the derrick boom may be swung, mutually independent span means for so swinging said derrick boom, said means including mutually independently operable span tackles respectively connected between said masts and said derrick boom, guide means at the head of said derrick boom and at the heads of said masts to guide said span tackles automatically, a transversely extending head pin mounted on said derrick boom, a block pendant pivotally mounted on said head pin at one side of said derrick boom, a swivel carried by said pendant whose axis extends transversely to that of said head pin, an upper cargo block rotatably secured to said swivel and being rotatable about said axis of said swivel, a lower cargo block, hauling tackle connecting the upper and lower cargo blocks and including a hauling part, and guide means along said boom for said hauling part, and means to so rotate said upper cargo block about said axis of said swivel on swinging through said derrick boom between the plane of the masts.

9. Cargo loading device according to claim 8, including interengageable means on said derrick boom and on said upper cargo block to rotate the latter on said axis of said swivel during swing of said derrick boom.

10. Cargo loading device according to claim 8, wherein said upper cargo block includes superposed pulleys, the upper most pulley being being of larger diameter than the lowermost pulley.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,517,249 8/ 1950 Serrell 254- 2,546,683 3/1951 Young 254188 3,226,088 12/ 1965 Habighorst 254-195 3,236,390 2/1966 Sprengel 212 3 FOREIGN PATENTS 766,718 1/ 1957 Great Britain.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 254-188 

